The Cells of Jenova
by XamierTheNobody
Summary: What if Sephiroth was not the only Jenova experiment? What if Cloud was as well? Enter the world of two 'brothers' as they strive to become something greater then weapons made for destruction. But the voice that beckons them from inside is becoming hard to resist. Who exactly is this mother they speak of? And what does she have in store for them? AU, Cloud/Sephiroth brother fic.
1. The Jenova Project

**Rating for this chapter: K+**

**Warnings: Some foul language**

**Additional Notes: Sephiroth is about three years older than Cloud despite being created at the same time. Right now they are both in infant form but that changes in the future. Sephiroth progresses in age faster than Cloud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII Square Soft does**

_Deep in the bowels of ShinRa laboratory, a breakthrough in science has just occurred…_

"I've done it!" Professor Gast exclaimed, his eyes twinkling like a madman "The project was a success! I have actually created two artificial beings from Jenova's cells and two fetuses!" He turned to his Assistant Hojo and clapped a hand onto his shoulder "My boy, your children will not have been offered up in vain! This will lead us even closer to the promised land!"

Hojo hunched over and eyed the two infants, who were currently being held in a glass case full of Mako, and smirked "Oh yes, I'll reap many rewards from this 'sacrifice'."

He straightened and turned towards Professor Gast "We should report this to Shinra immediately; he'll want all the information on your newest creation."

Gast nodded "Indeed he will, well off with you! I have many things to do." Hojo inclined his head before heading into the steel cage elevator, and pressing number 67.

Tearing his attention away from his now absent assistant, Gast cocked his head "Now what to name you two…" He glanced at the one with small tufts of silver hair; it seemed to be glaring at him somehow.

He laughed inwardly, that might be possible, who knew what the cells of Jenova could do to the intelligence of an infant?

"Hmm…perhaps Xanthos?" The infant's glare hardened "No no that doesn't sound right…" After a few minutes of intense staring-which made the professor look ridiculous-, the professor's head shot up "Sephiroth! That's it! I shall call you Sephiroth!"

Gast heard no sign of disapproval from the infant-not that he could anyway- and smiled, before gazing upon the one with blond tufts of hair. This one seemed cheerful and carefree; it reminded him of the sky, vivacious and bright.

"Cloud would be a fitting name wouldn't you agree?" Gast asked partly to himself, and grinned when a chubby hand waved at him in response.

His cold eyes wandered over to his desk, and he sighed. It was piled with meaningless paperwork, and no matter how important he was to ShinRa corp., they could still attempt to take away any freedom he had with his experimentations if he didn't sign them.

Rolling his shoulders and pushing up his spectacles Gast got to work "I might as well turn in the data on the 'Test Subjects' or that fat lard Shinra will have my head."

**Two years later**

Young Sephiroth and Cloud were once again ushered into a strange lab for their annual Mako 'testing'. This had become almost a daily occurrence, and the ever naïve Cloud simply thought that they were taking their 'Medicine' albeit how painful it could be.

But Sephiroth knew better, he was far more insightful than Cloud, he knew they were testing how much Mako they could handle, and how effective the reactions were.

Although Sephiroth could not think of the slightest idea why.

So here they were inside a dimly lit laboratory, sitting shirtless on cold slabs of metal awaiting their daily 'dose'.

Cloud was idly swinging his legs back and forth looking as cheery as ever despite their somewhat harsh treatment. Sephiroth never could understand how Cloud could look so happy even after experiencing horrible things, although the Mako showers were much worse then this.

Sephiroth's attention shot towards the door as the cruel and somewhat insane Professor Hojo sauntered in. "Hello there my lovelies, it's time for your 'medicine'." Cloud paled noticeably while Sephiroth just glared daggers at Hojo.

Hojo smirked at Cloud, before sneering at Sephiroth while producing cotton swabs and a bottle of liquidized Mako. He dabbed a cotton swab into the liquid and gingerly spread it over Cloud's chest, and did the same to Sephiroth, albeit hesitantly though.

He couldn't seriously harm the boys containing the cells of Jenova, but he'd be damned if he didn't wish for Sephiroth to be as cooperative as Cloud. Cloud whimpered as pain spread across his chest, and clutched Sephiroth's hand tightly.

Sephiroth knew he had to be strong for the both of them, so he bit his lip to hold back own whimper. Cloud only remained partly happy after these tests because Hojo always gave him a pat on the head and a lollipop. Although the man did so reluctantly with a fake smile. Being as young as they were even the tiniest of things seemed to amuse them. But it worked better on Cloud than Sephiroth.

Sephiroth of course received nothing, he didn't mind because he'd most likely destroy anything that disgusting worm Hojo gave him. When the testing was over the two boys were escorted back to their room. If you could even call it a room, right now it looked more like a steel cage with a bed and a dresser inside.

Sephiroth pulled his brother onto the bed and held him in his lap. Cloud cuddled with him and soon fell asleep, leaving the little boy Sephiroth to his thoughts. Sephiroth gazed at his sleeping brother with a tender smile, he loved him so much. Partially because he was his brother, and because of how kind he was despite his brother's cruelty towards others.

He ran his hands through spiky, blond locks and soon fell asleep propped against the wall. Things would get better...right?

**Edited: February 12th**

**Originally Written: June 7th**

**[A/N] Read and Review please! After some criticism I redid this chapter, hope its better. I'm currently redoing the entire story since my writing style has changed over the past nine months. Ignore any Author's notes with dates written in them, those are the old ones from June-September.**


	2. Training

**Rating for this chapter: K**

**Warnings for this chapter: Some serious Cloud-Mommy angst.**

**Additional Notes: Seph is a little OOC in his younger years because he hasn't been corrupted by death and war yet. Sorry about the short chapters but that's just how I do things.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII and am totally not putting this here to make my chapters longer.**

**Training**

The past three years had flown by and the two boys were wary when they were roused from their sleep early in the morning on their fifth birthday.

They weren't expecting a party like the other children-whom they had seen through the laboratory's window-received and weren't surprised when Hojo handed them each a wooden sword.

"Shinra has deemed you old enough to start your training, we've been lenient with you for the past few years, but that ends now. You'll now begin training to become the most elite SOLDIERs the ShinRa Corporation has ever seen!

Of course you'll still have to enter the normal way and start off as a cadet, but with your training there won't be any doubt you'll become First Class in no time!"

Cloud innocently tilted his head "What do you mean by training? Will we be fighting with swords or something else?" Sephiroth had also been confused about that but knew one thing, if they were going to train with weapons then he would stick to swordplay, the elegant dance entranced Sephiroth and he wanted-no-_yearned_ to be able to recreate those fluid movements.

Hojo nodded and began the training. Hojo had brought in a member of the Militia to train them, and after a brutal three hours they were battered and tired. But they had gained more knowledge and that in the long run was what really mattered.

They had ran so much that they thought their legs would burn into stubs. They were forced to sprint six miles, it had taken them half an hour and they were exhausted. After that they did fifty crunches, pushups, and jumping jacks. They were sure that if they were older it would be much, much harder.

They didn't use the weapons yet; they just tested their endurance. They were given almost constant breaks because even if the cells of Jenova helped they were still only five years old.

* * *

><p>By the time they were done doing the vigorous exercises it was already nightfall, and as they undressed Cloud said something that made Sephiroth freeze in shock. "Where's our mommy?" He asked, his deep blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.<p>

Sephiroth stood still for a second contemplating his response, how was he supposed to explain this to his younger brother when he himself didn't know the answer?

He chanced a glance at Cloud and inwardly frowned, the look on the boys face made it seem like this question meant the world to him.

Sephiroth ran a hand through his rapidly growing silver locks and sighed, there was no way he'd be getting out of this one.

"I don't know where our mother is," the look of despair on Cloud's face made him hastily add "But I heard the scientists talking about something called 'Jenova' and by what I can piece together I bet that's our mother!"

Cloud grinned in delight "Maybe if we ask Hojo he'll let us visit her!" Sephiroth shook his head "I don't think he will." Cloud pouted "Why not?" "Because he's cruel, he's always looking for a way to crush our 'emotions' and this will be the jackpot for him."

Cloud looked down and shuffled his feet "I guess your right…" suddenly Sephiroth was assaulted by a mess of blond hair "But we can find her when we're older and they let us out of here for SOLDIER! Don't you think brother?"

Sephiroth couldn't find it in himself to say no, his brother was just so naïve! "Sure." he replied before ushering Cloud to their bed. "We have to get some sleep now; we wouldn't want to be too tired for the training sessions now would we? The stronger we get the sooner we'll be out of here for good."

But when Sephiroth went to see if Cloud was paying attention the little blond had already fallen asleep. He gave a warm smile and snuggled up to Cloud before entering the dark abyss known as sleep.

**Edited: February 12th**

**[A/N] Bleh! I really hate it when I go to edit things and realize that I can't add more in to make the chapter longer without ruining the entire plot! DSFGDFG IT FILLS ME WITH RAGE! Read and Review please, or it'll take me four months to update. I'm not kidding, it's happened to this story quite often. GAAAH I HATE HOW SHORT THIS CHAPTER IS!**


	3. Signing up

'_**Blah blah blah'**_** for thoughts**

**Rating for this chapter: T**

**Warnings: It's even CLOSER to what you've been waiting for! Also from now on there won't be year skipping every chapter and the chapters WILL get longer! I have to write so much detail from Wutai to Nibelheim in the later chapters!**

**Remember Sephiroth is three years older than Cloud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII SquareEnix does, I only own the multiple games that I bought, posters, and a few cosplaying costumes.**

**Sign up!**

Cloud bounced eagerly on his bed, counting down the seconds until he would finally be fifteen! Sephiroth technically was already eighteen due to the fact that he received a few more cells than Cloud and progressed faster than him.

So while Cloud remained short and lanky, Sephiroth was tall and a bit muscular.

Sephiroth just_ loved_ to tease him about it, deeming himself the older brother and the boss of Cloud since he was six. Now Cloud could finally tease him back! _'5…4…3…2…1…0! Yes! I'm finally old enough to try out for SOLDIER!' _

Sephiroth could have tried out three years ago when he turned fifteen, but demanded that Cloud go with him. Since Cloud wasn't old enough at the time Sephiroth had decided to wait.

Hojo had thrown a huge fit about it, but a bone chilling glare from Sephiroth and the promise of death changed his mind quickly.

His cat like eyes roamed over the slumbering Sephiroth to his side and he grinned _'Oh man! I've got to tell Sephiroth the good news!'_

Memories of the last time Cloud had tried to wake up Sephiroth fluttered to the front of his mind and he shuddered. _'Actually...I think I'll wait till morning.'_

For Cloud morning couldn't come fast enough, he was just so excited! So he lay there on his side of the bed, and stared intently at the ceiling.

'_Why is the ceiling so white? Couldn't the scientists think of some other color? I feel like I'm in an asylum for Shiva's sake!'_

With a breathy sigh Cloud rolled over and nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with a _very_ awake Sephiroth. "Uh…umm w-what are you doing awake S-Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth snorted "How could anyone sleep with your constant sighing and rustling around? You're as quiet as an elephant." Cloud blushed in embarrassment; he didn't know he was being _that_ noisy.

"Go back to sleep Cloud before I castrate you." was the last he heard before Sephiroth fell asleep again. Deciding not to risk losing his manly parts Cloud lay down and snuggled into his pillow.

Fear of losing what he had down under stomped on any excitement he had earlier and he finally fell into a dreamless and content sleep.

* * *

><p>Cloud was rudely awakened by an icy, wet feeling all across his body "What in Ifrit's fiery depths!" He exclaimed as he glared at a smug looking Sephiroth.<p>

"You should have gone to bed earlier Cloud or this would not be happening." Cloud gave him a puzzled look "Wha-"

"It is nearly seven Brother, you are twenty minutes away from being late."

"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER?" Cloud shouted while franticly pulling on his uniform and attempting to fix his 'Chocobo Butt' hair.

"I thought it would be amusing to watch you squeal, this is also payback for waking me so late at night."

Cloud scowled before walking towards the door and waving at his brother "Let's go…the sooner we leave the sooner we can get this over with."

Sephiroth chuckled and followed his brother out of the door and outside where Hojo was waiting for them next to a truck. "Why so sullen brother? If I remember correctly only a few hours ago you were bursting at the seams with excitement for today."

Cloud glared daggers at him "Moods can change when certain people dump ice cold water on them."

Sephiroth chuckled once more before entering the truck and seating himself in the back next to his brother.

"Well it seems like you two finally decided to show up!" Hojo muttered darkly, sending a few glares to the teens behind him.

"We're leaving now, are you two excited? Your path to greatness begins now!" Hojo said this with such a gleam in his eyes that Cloud could practically feel it in the back of the car.

Hojo started the truck-which gave a loud **VRUUM**-and quickly drove to ShinRa headquarters where they were holding the Cadet recruiting.

Usually Hojo would get his 'experiments' in the laboratories at ShinRa, but since Cloud and Sephiroth were considered valuable they were moved to a different lab on the outskirts of Midgar.

The truck ran over a large bump that almost sent the two flying out of their seats "For Shiva's sake couldn't they have added seatbelts to this damn truck!" Cloud whined as his head hit the ceiling of the vehicle.

In approximately thirty minutes they arrived at their destination, and Cloud breathed a sigh of relief, finally they would be out of this cursed truck!

Hojo parked the car with ease and gestured the two outside, "As much as I would _love_ to watch you triumph I unfortunately have work to do." Hojo stated in an annoyed manner.

The duo nodded and left the car, as soon as they exited Hojo drove off back to the Lab. Cloud grinned "Finally he's gone!" Sephiroth inclined his head in reply and they headed off to the sign up area.

**[A/N] I was totally planning on ending this here just to irk you guys but I decided not to.**

Cloud was astonished by the number of men and teens in the area "Everyone wants to be a SOLDIER." he muttered and received a sharp glare from his brother in response.

He raised his hands in defeat and settled into the ever growing line to the sign up sheet.

It was two hours before Cloud's turn came, he grunted and stretched his aching muscles, waiting in line for that long _hurt_.

A SOLDIER with short, wavy auburn hair eyed him "Are you sure you're old enough to be here? You seem a little to _short _to be fifteen or older"

Cloud flushed red in embarrassment "I can assure you that I am old enough."

The man nodded "Whatever kid, fifteen or not I doubt you'll make it anyway. Name?"

"Cloud Strife"

"Age?"

"Fifteen" The man nodded "Meet us on the training grounds in thirty minutes, there they will issue you your cadet uniform and go over protocol. At the end of the year there will be a test; those who pass go into SOLDIER, those who don't go into the lower militia, do you understand?"

"Yes sir" Cloud replied and he moved off to the side to wait for Sephiroth.

Sephiroth's turn was much more eventful than Cloud's for as soon as the SOLDIER spotted him he pointed to the training grounds.

Sephiroth raised a slender silver brow "Aren't you going to ask for my name and age?"

The SOLDIER shook his head "Nah, by the looks of you I can tell that you're older than fifteen, just follow the blond kid since I don't feel like repeating myself today."

Sephiroth nodded and smirked when he saw Cloud's envious look "Oh come now brother we both knew this would happen one way or another."

Cloud huffed "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Sephiroth laughed and ruffled Cloud's hair, who in turn began to mutter various curses under his breath "There is no reason to be jealous brother, we both know that you will make it into SOLDIER, we both will."

Cloud turned his head in a childish manner and Sephiroth gave an exasperated sigh "By the gods it is so hard to please you! It's time to go to the training grounds; you wouldn't want all the SOLDIERs to see you in such a childish position now would you?"

Cloud franticly shook his head and sprinted towards the training grounds, his excitement from earlier back with full force.

Sephiroth shook his head and followed after his slightly insane brother _'This is going to be a very long day'_

**Edited: February 13th**


	4. The Training Grounds

**[A/N] Sorry for the delay but I had HUUUGE writer's block! Plus I have only one more day till I leave for Guam! So I'll try to put out as many chapters as I can alright? I also wrote a one-shot of FF10, Read it if you like Seymour/Tidus yaoi**

**There will be some OC's in the SOLDIER and Cadet unit. None of them will be extremely important to the story though. Only one of the OC'S that I have written below will be common in the story until the SOLDIER Part is over for he will be the commanding officer.**

**Remember, Sephiroth is about three years older than Cloud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, Square Soft does! I only own my original characters.**

When they reached the training grounds they were met with the stares of literally a hundred newly recruited cadets.

Feeling nervous and slightly self-conscious Cloud found a spot at the end of a row-going sideways-and tried to hide his blush.

His brother on the other hand strode over as if he owned the place, and stood beside Cloud his trademark smirk in place.

They waited until the rest of the cadets poured in, one of the SOLDIERs gave a signal to what looked like the commanding officer, and the frequently loud group of men-and teens-became silent immediately.

"Listen up Ladies!" Cloud winced at the man's tone and inwardly fumed at the insult. "Today marks the day of you becoming men" His eyes roamed over the crowd "You may think that age makes you a man, but that's a load of bullshit!"

"You become a man through tears, sweat, blood and hardship! So if any of you think this will be a walk in the park then I suggest you leave now, you will wake up at exactly five a.m each morning.

After that you will jog or sprint around the track for twenty laps. This is to build up your endurance. Because your team leaders sure as hell aren't gonna baby ya!"

A series of groans and curses could be heard from the crowd.

The SOLDIER let out a deep booming laugh that sent shivers down almost ever cadet's spine.

"HAHAHA" He looked back at his SOLDIER comrades "Boys we're gonna have a hell of a lotta fun with this group!"

The man moved to stand in front of the recruits with his friends and another SOLDIER came over.

He had long ebony hair that was pulled into a high ponytail and piercing jade eyes that seemed to paralyze anyone who dared look.

He was wearing the standard SOLDIER uniform and his body language showed that he regarded every person besides him as dirt.

"My name is Zhane Dorul and I will be one of the commanders of the groups you will be set into. In my group after the morning exercises we head to the Mess hall for breakfast. Breakfast will last for twenty minutes and after that we will begin learning the art of swordplay.

We will first learn about stance and how to wield various weapons and proceed from that. Training will last for three hours and by the time we are done it will be afternoon. Depending on what day it is, most afternoons you will be working on endurance and cardio and then proceed to a thirty minute lunch.

When that is done you will learn about Materia and how to use it until it is time for dinner. You will then have a thirty five minute dinner before heading to your bunks and sleeping. There is a curfew and if you are caught breaking it the consequences will be _dire_"

Zhane stepped back and made way for another SOLDIER.

He had short curly brown hair and sparkling almond shaped teal eyes, he seemed laid back and cheerful. Cloud decided that he liked this man the best so far.

"My name is Sasuke Kyoto and I am also one of the commanders of the groups. My schedule is the same as Zhane's; we will have longer eating periods though and will focus mostly on Materia usage. My group is mostly for beginners, meaning that my group is for those of you who have no fighting experience at all"

Sasuke grinned before stepping back and letting another SOLDIER pass through

This one had spiked up and slightly curly black hair and tanned skin with deep chocolate eyes, he seemed like a real Ladies man.

"The name's Thomas Haverly got it memorized? Like the guys above me said, I'll also be your commanding officer, My schedule's for the pro's that means long as hell training periods, Actual sparring matches and no mercy".

Everyone-besides Cloud and Sephiroth-gulped at the thought of being in his group, he seemed like a man who would laugh if you were injured and probably rub salt in the wound.

"Now that the explanations are over, let's get your asses into the groups!"

Zhane came forward and addressed the crowd "Line up in Alphabetical Order, Last name first, A-G will be on the left side H-S in the middle and S-Z on the right. From their we will evaluate which group you will go in"

All hell broke loose after his statement, Cadets ran around aimlessly trying to find the section to go to, half of them just stood there looking confused.

The three SOLDIERs face palmed and shook there heads, they just _had_ to get stuck with the idiots this year.

They rounded up all the Cadets and spent three hours directing them to the section they would stand in; when they came across Sephiroth they were utterly confused.

"What do you mean you don't have a last name?" Sasuke asked the silver haired man. Sephiroth shrugged "Unlike my brother I was not given a last name"

Sasuke looked confused "Brother? The why don't you use his last name?" Sephiroth snorted "I dare say that Sephiroth Strife sounds rather idiotic to me"

The man looked baffled "Strife? Cadet Strife is your brother? Woah didn't see that coming, Just stand in line next to him"

Sephiroth nodded and joined his brother who whispered harshly in his ear "Why do people find it so hard to believe that we are related?"

Sephiroth just shrugged and turned his attention back to the SOLDIERs.

"It's time to evaluate you boys now"

**[A/N] Here ya go! One last chapter before I leave for Guam tomorrow, I'll try and type/write some while I'm flying but I can't guarantee that I'll update until I get back which is in July something, when I return from Guam I am only back for five days.**

**Then I leave for Michigan and won't come back until August 12th so I'm booked! Then after that I start as a freshman in Highschool! So the chapters are going to come slower from now on! I'm sorry but the life of a teenage girl is hectic!**

**Edited: August 1st**


	5. The Evaluation

**[A/N] Don't bitch at me about the shortness or quality of this chapter; I'm spending MY VACATION TIME updating this for you! I could have made you wait till the 23****rd**** of July but I didn't! **

**I might update again soon I might not; Being a few hours away from Japan gives you LOTS to do!**

**I've noticed a lot of mistakes in the previous chapters and have corrected them.**

**Also, I really don't give a damn about anyone being OOC anymore. It's my story so why should I give a damn if the characters aren't like they are in the games? **

**Sephiroth will however ALWAYS remain in character in this story I hope. I just love his personality. He won't be a heartless bastard until after the war in Wutai.**

**So don't complain saying "Blah blah blah, Sephiroth is OOC, your story sucks! Bitch bitch bitch whine whine whine"**

Zhane marched over to the group on the right and addressed them with a sneer "As part of your evaluation you will be paired with the person on your left and will spar. This is strictly body only and if I catch **ANY** of you cheating then I will personally throw your sorry ass out of this program myself! Now, spread out, turn to your partners and…BEGIN!"

Cloud was predictably paired with his brother, Sephiroth. They bowed to one another and assumed the fighting stance before swiftly attacking the other with sharp kicks and strikes.

Cloud chanced a glance at the other cadets and was somewhat disappointed; the entire right section was full of bunch of bumbling idiots. They were throwing sloppy punches, inaccurate kicks, and constantly stumbling over their own two feet.

However, one cadet stood out from the rest. He was a red-head with bright green eyes and a cocky smirk on his face. He dodged every move his opponent made and quickly bent down and swiped the boys' legs, sending him flat on his back.

The boy sneered and lunged at the red-head, only to miss and fall down once more.

Cloud smiled and directed his attention back to Sephiroth, who was currently swinging his fist back so far that Cloud knew he would be unconscious and possibly be in need of a new jaw if it connected.

He quickly ducked, and rolled when Sephiroth's feet attempted to crush him. He stood behind Sephiroth and landed a powerful roundhouse kick.

Sephiroth was stunned for but a few seconds and retaliated with the force of a thousand suns **(1)**. He grabbed Cloud by the arm and flung him as far as he could.

Sephiroth swore he saw Cloud's pupils shift into slits, and his eyes change into a shocking emerald green while in Mid-air.

Cloud swiftly turned and landed on his feet, his stance showing that he was either about to charge at Sephiroth, or throw a nearby cadet at him. Hey? The rules didn't say you couldn't use _other's_ bodies.

Cloud decided to do both, with his bangs covering his face, and a dark aura emitting from him, he charged at Sephiroth, grabbed an unfortunate blond cadet, and flung the boy at Sephiroth before leaping up and delivering a sharp blow to his central nerve in his neck.

Or so he thought.

Sephiroth had grabbed his hand seconds away from it paralyzing him and sharply twisted. There was a sick _crack _and all eyes turned to Cloud, clearly expecting him to burst into tears at any moment.

But Cloud insisted on surprising them all, he simply laughed, snapped his wrist back into place and turned to his brother "All right, all right you win this time! But I'll get you next time brother! Don't you forget it!"

Commander Zhane ran quickly to them and turned angry jade eyes on the duo.

"Would someone please explain to me what the hell just happened?" He snapped at them, causing a few nearby cadets to flinch.

Sephiroth raised a slender silver brow "We were sparring just as you asked Commander, As far as I'm concerned nothing we did broke any of the rules"

Zhane turned his steely glare to Cloud "I precisely said body only! You _threw _another cadet Strife! Threw him!"

Cloud shrugged "I used _a_ body; you didn't say it had to be mine"

Commander Thomas stood beside Commander Zhane and smirked "He's got you there Zhane; you didn't say he couldn't use _another_ cadet's body to attack."

He turned to Cloud and Sephiroth "You boys are in my group, No ifs ands or buts. You've got skill. And skill is exactly what we're looking for." His eyes passed over Cloud briefly, and Cloud wasn't sure if he was talking about SOLDIER or something else.

The group in the middle and the left did the same thing, and were quickly dumped into groups. The red head from earlier was in the exact same group as them and Cloud inwardly smiled, with him in their group this year could be nothing but fun.

Commander Thomas herded them to the barracks, telling them that this is where they would be staying for the next year and explained their curfew and schedule.

"Curfew starts at ten boys, now I know some of you have _urges _but if you have to fuck then do it before ten. And make sure your girl, o_r guy_" He muttered "Is gone or back in the barracks by then. As you've noticed we have no girls in this program. All the women will be ShinRa secretaries or something like that. Stay away from the scientists though, they'll castrate ya"

The cadets nodded and headed of to bed, Cloud fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, thinking _'I'm even closer to becoming a SOLDIER, I'll show them, I'm not weak!'_

**Edited: August 1st**


	6. Sparring for a Chance

Cloud woke up at the crack of dawn and wasn't surprised when he saw that the rest of his team were still sleeping. However one thing confused him, Sephiroth's bed was empty. This meant that he had woken up earlier than Cloud-a fact that irked Cloud to no end-and had left.

'But where?' He thought, before silently moving over to his brother's bed and feeling the sheets. 'It's still warm…He must of left just recently'. The sound of running water reached Cloud's ears and the blond rushed to the source of it.

The sound led him to the bathroom-which was the only one the team of seven had-which judging by the light shining from underneath the door, was currently occupied.

Cloud stealthily and silently pushed open the door and the most beautiful sound cascaded around him.

_"The rain that began to fall dissolves into the dry asphalt  
>I coldly wrap this hand that is mixed with a slight fever<em>

_Without seeing the tears, I walk  
>turning something into the victim.<br>As a result I even end up betraying you. _

_But you know, it can change._

_I remain like this until I will throw away my hope._

_Always with you,  
>I want to see the same dream like you."<em>

It turns out that the sound of running water was the shower and the elegant, almost sorrowful voice that was captivating Cloud was coming from the person in the shower.

Not wishing to interrupt such a beautiful song, Cloud was content with just waiting until the mysterious singer was done and revealed them self.

_"The repeating days are soaking us more and more_

_Even the painted place of that day,_

_The down pouring night never stops crying.  
>The night is crying<em>

_My face is reflected in a puddle of water._

_Am I okay? There is only one answer._

_This is the result born from agony,_

_Please don't ask me anymore._

_My false smile is melting_

_I keep doubting, I keep worrying,_

_Because I think I can live by becoming strong._

_The never ending memory…"_

If Cloud had been any other person than he would have been crying his eyes out, the song was so sorrowful that it sent a pang of grief into Cloud's heart.

Cloud couldn't restrain himself from seeking out the owner of the voice, so without thinking he tore away the shower curtains and came face to face with his brother, Sephiroth.

Cloud did the only thing a boy in his position could do; he let out an unmanly shriek and flung himself away from the shower. Sure he had seen Sephiroth naked before, they _were_ brothers after all.

But to find out that the voice was Sephiroth's had shocked him, he never knew that his brother could sing! But then again, that isn't really something someone as serious as Sephiroth would discuss with their brother.

Sephiroth calmly strolled over to him and slapped him across the head "Do you not know when to enter a bathroom and when not to enter a bathroom brother? It was obvious that someone was currently using these facilities, so did you just feel the _need_ to become a peeping tom?"

Cloud stuttered out numerous replies but all he could coherently say was "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were in there! I just wanted to know who was singing I swear!"

Sephiroth huffed "You've wasted enough of my time already so I will let you go this time" Cloud noticeably relaxed "But heed my words brother, if you disrupt me in the shower again then I will shave all your precious hair and glue it to your ass. Now hurry up and get ready, Commander Thomas will be here shortly"

Cloud numbly nodded his head and hurriedly slipped into his Cadet uniform. He spent the rest of his time trying to tame the spikes he called hair to no avail.

Just as he was about to swear so much it would have made a sailor blush, Commander Thomas barged into the room.

"Morning girlies! Hope you got enough beauty sleep because we've got ourselves some training to do! Turns out some of our First class SOLDIERs have volunteered to supervise our dueling for the day! That means you have to do your absolute best to day!"

His eyes suddenly hardened and his voice gained a menacing tone "Whatever you do reflects onto me, and I swear if you make me look bad then I will MURDER ALL OF YOU" he screamed while pointing his fingers at all of them

"This is the real deal! If you get noticed by these guys then your road to SOLDIER will be much smoother, Hell I might even get a promotion!"

After that being said he ushered them into the training grounds outside and handed each of them a rusty and basically crappy looking metal rod.

"Since my superiors are a bunch of greedy fat asses, we only have these to duel with" Thomas stated apologetically while rubbing the back of his neck.

"The First Class are watching us from inside the building, so even though you can't see them they **are** there. So on the count of three you will choose a partner and attack, okay? One…two…three!"

Cloud was paired with the red head whose name he had found out was Reno. This teen was from the slums and was so fast that you had to keep your eyes on him always.

He was ruthless and played dirty, aiming for the face or below the belt. Cloud managed to whack him on the head with the rod and in turn was struck in the gut by the other's rod.

Thinking quickly Cloud somehow was able to get the sharp tip of his rod against the other's throat. Cloud was shocked when he saw that the other had his rod against Cloud's neck as well.

**[A/U] Hehehe sorry about the singing in the shower part, but I felt that I should put that there. **

**This was kind of a filler chapter but it had some important stuff in it to I think. It's Midnight over here in Guam and I'm heading to THREE BEACHES tomorrow so I need to get some sleep! Read and review please!**


	7. The Cocky Redhead

**[A/N] I had a terrible plot twist that would make Vincent Sephiroth's dad. But I decided not to go with that. But there is another plot twist, one that I doubt any of you expected. I don't know if I should go with it but I think I might.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Seven! Square Soft does!**

**I apologize if any one is out of character but I really don't care :/ This is an AU so the characters have different backgrounds so their personalities will be different. **

**Sephiroth will not be a heartless bastard until after the war in Wutai, which will come up soon.**

**Also, the reason why most of the things aren't being explained is because I'm mostly fast forwarding to the important stuff. However, when this story is over I will be creating a side-story to this that focuses on their childhood and what they did while in Soldier.**

**This chapter was inspired by the song 'Skellig' by The Celtic Circle**

Cloud nearly chuckled at the sight of the red head before him. The sneering boy had an arrogant but determined look in his eyes. He had fought with fervor, but exhaustion was obvious upon his features.

It wouldn't be long until one of them surrendered.

They were equally beat, each with their weapon pressed against the other's throat. But Reno still thought he was the victor!

Cloud was suddenly overcome with rage, how dare he think he had bested Cloud? He would teach the cocky redhead a lesson he would not forget anytime soon!

With a sharp twist Cloud removed the rod from his throat and threw the other's weapon to the side where it rolled out of sight.

Discarding his own weapon as well Cloud aimed a punch to the other's gut, and was immensely satisfied with the grunt of pain that came with it.

Reno's expression wasn't so cocky now, a slightly fearful glint shown in his eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it came.

Cloud however, was not expecting Reno to backhand him across the face. Reno smirked, if the blond wanted a fist fight then he sure as hell would get one!

Cloud responded with a fist to Reno's face-which now sported a dark bruise on his left cheek-and narrowly dodged the uppercut aimed at his chin.

A small crowd had gathered around them, each taunting and jeering at the boys. "Come on girlies! Fight like real men!"

"Haha the redhead will kick the blond's ass for sure, what a wimp! He looks like a friggin girl!"

Cloud was getting ready to knock a few teeth in before he was rudely interrupted by,

_Oh~ you touch my Tra la la_

_Mmm my ding ding dong_

_Deep in the night, I'm looking for some fun_

_Deep in the night, I'm looking for some love_

_De-de-de-deep in the night, I'm looking for some fun_

_You tease me, oh please me, I want you to be my love toy_

_Come near me, don't fear me. I just can't get enough of you boy._

_Oh~ you touch my Tra la la_

The annoying sound was coming from within Reno's pocket in a flash Reno cursed and pulled out a black cell phone.

"Fuck! Bad time to call, Yo" There was a murmured reply that even with his advanced hearing Cloud couldn't make out.

"What? He wants to meet me? Sure, sure tell him I'll be right there. Huh? Bring the scrawny blond kid to? What the hell are you guys thinking? Humph whatever you say pal. But don't expect him or me to cooperate with whatever the hell you guys are up to, yo. See ya".

Reno glared at Cloud before grabbing his arm and pulling him inside the building. He quickly headed towards the elevator that every cadet knew that only authorized personnel could use.

"Reno! What the hell is going on?"

Reno ignored him and pushed Cloud inside before pressing the button that said FL65. Cloud heard a _Ding_ and felt the elevator come to life, slowly pulling them to wherever the hell Reno chose.

Cloud was too shocked to even protest as Reno once again pulled him out of the elevator and into a empty, dimly lit, room.

He pulled a still frozen by shock Cloud onto a dusty leather couch and sat on his legs so that he wouldn't be able to leave.

Not that Cloud _wanted_ to, as freaky as what was going on was, it was still pretty exhilarating. Plus if Reno had the guts to drag him here by force then it must be pretty important.

After a short while-of which Reno used to push every button Cloud had-two men came in, one a dark skinned man with shades on and another with ivory skin and long ebony hair pulled into a tight ponytail.

"Good evening gentleman" the raven haired one said "I am Tseng leader of the Turks."

"The Turks?" Cloud questioned his eyes full of caution and distrust.

"Correct, and I have a proposition for you." The one with the shades on snorted and directed his gaze to Reno.

Reno, upon noticing the other's intense gaze, shuffled around in discomfort. _'Why the hell is baldie starin at me like that?'_

"What kind of proposition?" Reno asked, hoping to avert the dark man's eyes.

"You two have shown quite a lot of skill these past weeks, skills that could benefit SOLDIER" He locked eyes with Cloud "But would be much more suited for our area.

Cloud felt extremely uncomfortable now, just what was this man implying? "What do you mean by that?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Tseng smirked "Why Cloud, I want you and Reno to join the Turks"

**[A/N] HAHAHA PLOT TWIST! Bet none of you were expecting that eh? Ooh~ I wonder what will happen next! **

**Just went to several Asian markets, and an aquarium where this cute little girl would point at the fish and shout in Japanese. IT WAS SO CUTE!**

**I got so many T-shirts! Can't wait to go to Michigan though, My awesome cousin (Who looks like she could be my twin) lives there along with my lovable grandma and my nerdy cousin. I can't wait to go!**


	8. Suits? No way

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, Square Soft does! Please review and tell me how my story is doing so far D:**

**I recently reposted this story because of the hateful things some reviewers had said to me, calling me a bitch and everything.**

**I'm trying as hard as I can but I'm only an incoming freshman, I haven't learned College English or even High School English! Only up to eighth grade so my grammar is on par with kids my age.**

**Check out the song 'Curry' by Norazo. Skip part of the beginning, IT'S AWESOME. It's on you tube so watch it :D**

**This chapter was inspired by the song 'Skellig' by Celtic Circle**

A loud _Thump_ was heard and all eyes turned to Reno, he had fallen out of his chair in shock and was currently cursing under his breath.

Sweat ran down Cloud's face "Can I think about this for a few days?" He asked silently hoping the answer was yes, but was met with a sharp glare.

"Cadet Strife, We don't have 'a few days' we need an answer now; you either join us, or stay as a Cadet and maybe even become a SOLDIER".

Cloud's heart was beating erratically, he couldn't answer now! He needed time to think about this, right?

Or was he wrong; was becoming a Turk the only way for him to be recognized? If he became a SOLDIER then he would always be in his brother's shadow.

_'Sephiroth' _Crap! He had forgotten about him, what would his brother think? He didn't want to face his brother's wrath, but was being compared to him worth it?

Would he give up his chance for glory just to be 'Sephiroth's Brother' never 'Cloud'?

_'No'_ He thought 'No_, this is my chance to be something, I can't be known as the kid with the Chocobo hair, I __**need**__ this, Sephiroth may never forgive me but, I __**want**__ this.'_

"I accept" He stated, determination showing proudly on his features. Reno nodded beside him-having finally gotten up-in agreement. "I'll join to, yo, not like I got anything better to do"

Tseng smirked and grasped both their hands "Welcome to the Turks"

**Meanwhile in the Training Area**

Sephiroth's cold, mako green eyes scanned the area for his brother. After the redhead had forcefully dragged him away Sephiroth had yet to see them return.

_'My brother had better return unarmed or I may have to skewer somebody'_He thought, as he turned his attention back to Commander Thomas.

The man was babbling on and on on how they had impressed the First Class, and that he was so proud. He slyly added something about a 'Celebratory Toast' and how they would head to the nearest bar as soon as possible.

But Sephiroth had no time for drinking, his brother was missing and may possibly be in harms way.

However Sephiroth knew better than to follow them, he had seen the redhead use the 'Authorized Personnel Only' elevator, and would not risk getting kicked out and facing Hojo's wrath. His brother could take care of himself, right?

Sephiroth knew that for a fact, Cloud hated being babied, Sephiroth had learnt that the hard way five years ago, when he had tried to pick who he deemed 'Safe' enough to play with Cloud.

Most of them ran home screaming.

**Back with Cloud**

"I have to wear a what!" Reno and Cloud screamed at the same time.

The dark skinned man-whose name turned out to be 'Rude'- nodded his head. "All Turks have to wear a suit, its tradition."

In front of them were two black suits, with button up white shirts, black slacks, and matching black ties.

"Aww man" Reno moaned "I'm gonna look like a prick, yo"

Cloud agreed with him completely. Him? Wearing a suit? He'd look like a lawyer.

**[A/U] There! It's done! I am not typing anymore! I wrote so much for the last chapter that I'm pooped Dx. **

**I GOT TO SEE THE NEW HARRY POTTER MOVIE A DAY EARLIER THAN YOUUUU DID! HAHA Take that everyone in the states! ALSO, There's a HARRY POTTER FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY, IN GUAM! LOL, I'm going :D. **

**I drank coconut juice DIRECTLY from a coconut at the Chamorro Market! It tasted like sour milk ._. Definitely needed some sugar!**

**I'm learning the 'Bad Apple' dance so I can do a flash mob of it at my airport on July 21st xD. I might put up a link of all my Guam photos on my profile if you guys PROMISE not to steal them, or do disgusting shit. I'm serious, I'LL FIND YOU**


	9. Fastforward to the future

**[A/N] I really had no idea what to type D: **

**I really have no idea what to do with this story anymore, I have two unfinished one shots right now that I can't seem to complete. **

**Anyone have any ideas? Because right now I'm thinking of [SPOILER ALERT] Having Jenova actually be good for the planet, and instead of the 'I'M GOING TO END THE PLANET' Jenova actually strives to help the planet. I don't know just a thought [END OF SPOILER ALERT]**

**The Wutai war will be in the next chapter! It's going to take me a while to write all of it but I hope that it will be worth it!**

**They don't really explain it so it will be basically all up to me how to describe it in my story. It will mostly focus of Sephiroth and what he does.**

**Please review!**

_One year 2 months into the future~_

Within a year the unimaginable had happened, Sephiroth had become a SOLDIER, and only a few months later had become a General!

Cloud was so proud of his brother, even though he didn't get to see him as much as he used to. After he had told his Silver haired brother that he had become a Turk, Sephiroth had become distant.

Maybe it was the fact that the upcoming war with Wutai was taking its toll on Sephiroth. Or maybe Sephiroth was to busy with General work to have time to spare.

Cloud was older now; he was no longer the short, lanky cadet that everyone picked on. He was now at least 5'7, which was still short, but not to short.

Reno had tried to convince him to get his nipples pierced, but he was having NONE of that! From what he'd heard, that shit hurt!

Reno's personality had greatly affected Cloud's, except Cloud didn't say 'Yo' after every sentence. He did drop a few f-bombs now and then though.

Cloud had grown his hair just a bit longer; it wasn't noticeable, except for the fact that his 'spikes' looked lengthier.

Rumors were flying around that he and Reno were 'fuck buddies'. Heh yeah right! They were best friends. Plus, Rude was Reno's personal stalker, and Reno didn't want to risk having the man walk in on something he ought of not seen.

It was creepy alright, having a giant dark skinned** (I say this because the term 'Black' is offensive where I come from)** guy follow you around all day, thinking that he isn't noticeable.

Cloud had his own fair share of stalkers, including President Shinra's son. Thankfully Rufus had laid off for a while. Still having the future head of ShinRa stalk you was pretty weird and disturbing.

At the moment Cloud and Reno were at their apartment, chilling out. Reno wanted to try what smoking cigs felt like, but Cloud knocked some sense into him. It wouldn't do for his partner to keel over from lung disease.

He's also convinced Reno to tone down on the alcohol consumption, Reno was his best friend, and he wanted the best for him, plus dieing because you killed your liver would suck. Reno wanted to go out with a bang!

And Cloud would make sure Reno got his wish.

So here they were, waiting for their next mission.

The last one had been at Costa Del Sol, and boy had Cloud and Reno enjoyed that! Besides the fact that numerous women sought to sneak into their rooms and take random locks of their hair.

Yeah, that kind of ruined the mission/vacation for them.

A smack to the back of his head shook Cloud out of his musings. He turned and glared at Reno, who wore a triumphant grin on his face.

"I was wondering when you'd stop angsting, Yo"

Cloud felt a smile tug at his lips and he ran his hand through his hair "Reno, for the last time I WAS NOT ANGSTING! I was deep in thought"

Reno snorted "You call it thinking, I call it angsting, yo, come on Tseng's waitin for us"

Cloud sighed before nodding "Let's go then, I can't wait to hear what that psycho's got planned for us next"

_**Half an hour later in Tseng's office**_

"So…" Cloud drawled as soon as they entered the room "What's next?"

Tseng chuckled, the blond was impatient as ever "Your next mission is to become Rufus Shinra's bodyguards for two weeks"

Cloud and Reno nearly fell over "WHAT?" They shouted. Cloud clutched his head "Shit! Why the hell do we need to be bodyguards for that prick? Doesn't already have the entire SOLDIER unit?"

Tseng nodded "Correct, but he insisted that the two of you be his personal bodyguards, this means that you follow him EVERYWHERE at EVERYTIME. If you fail this mission then both of you will be on a two month house arrest _without_ pay."

Reno cursed "Two months? You gotta be kiddin me yo, why's this one so important?"

"It's the presidents son you dimwit, what better reason is there?"

Tseng leaned back into his chair and shuffled some of the documents on his desk "Your mission starts ASAP, so I suggest you pack your stuff and report to Rufus immediately"

The duo nodded and raced towards the door, pushing each other along the way. Tseng sighed; Reno had corrupted the once innocent Cloud, As if one Reno wasn't enough!

**[A/N] The war in Wutai is next! This mission isn't important to the story and will most likely be over when Sephiroth returns from Wutai. I can't wait for the next chapter! I already have it typed up :D This story is completely different from when I originally posted it in June.**

**So I hope it's better. Read and Review please!**


	10. The War in Wutai

**[A/N] Here it is! The war in Wutai! The song is called 'Warrior' by Disturbed, I felt that it fit what was going on with Sephiroth at the moment.**

**The information I received was from various people who told me this, so don't blame me blame them if the information is incorrect!**

**Please tell me if I wrote it correctly or not, if it needs more action or less action. More bloodshed or less bloodshed. More angst and death or less and so on.**

**I hope that this chapter is what you were looking for! I suggest that you play the song 'Warrior' by Disturbed at the beginning of the battle scene, because it makes it sound AWESOME.**

The ShinRa troops traveled for two months, reserving as much food and water as they could. There were SOLDIERs everywhere, and even some unfortunate lower class militia.

The journey was difficult for all but Sephiroth, he being the only one with enough training to keep sane on a ship for two months. They didn't dare travel by air for fear of being shot out of the sky and loosing more men then they could afford. It was impossible to travel by land, seeing that Wutai was an island.

Sephiroth wore a mask of indifference, although he was inwardly fuming. This was all Godo and Shinra's fault! Those damn men and their plans for world domination!

Godo used Materia and Shinra used Mako, with those two apposing forces one could easily tell who would be the victor.

Shinra had wanted Wutai to buy the weapons and machinery they manufactured. But Wutai wanted to continue their proud and independent traditions.

Of course the fat lard known as Shinra would have none of that so he of course waged war onto them.

Sephiroth thought this whole thing meaningless, countless lives were going to be lost just because of two greedy men.

Godo would rather run a global empire than an isolated city-state, so he began campaigning for world-wide influence.

It took them but a few days to reach the Wutai border and set up camp. At dawn the battle would begin and they would see which side would be the victor.

Most of the men knew they would most likely die, but ShinRa had brainwashed them into thinking that this was a righteous cause, so they would gladly die for it.

The younger men however were having second thoughts at the moment. They were shaking with fear and muttering to themselves that this had been a stupid idea and that they wish they could go home already.

Night was drawing near and the men headed inside their tents to rest until dawn. Most would not be getting any sleep, the fear of death haunting their thoughts.

Sephiroth lay on his make-shift bed, thinking out strategies as he sought to get some sleep. Not that he needed it though, but if the others thought that even the General could sleep, then they perhaps would feel the need to sleep as well.

**Dawn**

'_This is it'_ Sephiroth thought to himself, he was currently stationed at the front of the troops. He would be the first to reach the enemies troops, and the first to strike them down.

Sephiroth wasn't flattered at all by the amount of trust Shinra put in him. In their eyes he was a weapon, nothing more nothing less.

If they wanted a weapon then Sephiroth would show them a weapon.

The sound of thundering feet reached the ears of them men and they readied their weapons. Small blurs appeared over the jungle's terrain and they approached quickly.

Sephiroth unsheathed Masamune and held it tightly. Once the enemies were in sight he would send the signal and attack. The rest of the troops would follow him and kill whatever he didn't.

Sephiroth hoped the casualties on their side wouldn't be too high. A small smirk reached his lips, the casualties of the Wutai troops however would be very, very high. He would make sure of it.

The enemies came in, sight. Sephiroth sent the signal and flew at the troops with the speed of a demon.

_I am now, an instrument of violence_

_I am a vessel of invincibility_

Sephiroth hacked away at the troops, limbs flew everywhere and blood danced around him like rain.

_I cannot leave this undecided_

_Stepping down to battle another day_

The men before him continued to fight on; loosing a limb apparently did not matter to them as they were determined to strike him down.

Sephiroth's eyes practically glowed with insanity; the more they fought the more exciting it was for him.

_Remember me for all time_

_This determination is a vital part of me_

He stabbed several men with his ridiculously long katana, impaling them like a human sheshkabob.

_Surrender now or be counted_

_With the endless masses that I will defeat_

Some were impaled through the neck, others through the stomach or chest.

He split a man in half, his organs practically pouring out and splattering the ground. Men around him slipped on his intestines and looked on with horror at the mutilation of their comrade.

_Broken down till your hope has died_

_Beat down till victory's mine_

_Stand up and show me some pride_

_And now, are you ready?_

Two men advanced him from behind and he simply chopped of their heads, sending them rolling to the ground, and their bodies sprawling across the jungle floor.

_I'm the one with the warrior inside_

_My dominance can't be denied_

_Your entire world will turn into a battlefield tonight._

Nearly a hundred arrows fell through the sky, all aiming for him. He lazily raised his sword and decimated all of them, leaving the remains to fall upon the floor in a heap.

_As I look upon you through the warrior's eyes now_

_I can see the fear that will ensure my victory this time_

The opposing troops, realizing that attacking him meant certain death, turned their attacks on to the troops behind him, thinking that they would be easier kills.

Oh, how wrong they were.

They were met with the frightening strength of the SOLDIERs and the surprising accuracy of the lower militia.

The Wutai archers took out a great deal of lower militia men, but the SOLDIERs luckily dodged. Well…at least most of them did.

_I can't be told to compromise this_

_They'll never doubt the body lying at my feet_

_A most formidable reminder_

_They will speak my name for eternity_

The Wutai troops were losing so many men that only 1/16th of their original numbers remained.

The battle today was ending quickly, but they would be back, with more men and more weapons.

A war like this couldn't end in just one day.

**Two months later…**

It was over. It was finally over! The battle had taken longer than expected, but even Sephiroth needed a break after three weeks of no rest.

They had lost hundreds of men, but the Wutainese had lost thousands. The Wutainese fought to the death, injured or not, bleeding to death or not they fought on.

If they had just surrendered at that time then everything would have gone much smoother.

But no, it took two months for Godo to finally realize that they weren't going to win this war.

They raised the white flag and finally surrendered. Most men could not wait to return to their families and loved ones.

However Sephiroth would return a changed man. Watching countless men slaughtered before him had hardened his heart, and turned his blood cold.

His mask of indifference had become permanent, and it seemed as if he was incapable of expressing any emotion.

Except rage of course…

Some of the SOLDIERs that had survived wondered what Cloud would do when he saw his brother.

Would Sephiroth even recognize Cloud as his brother anymore?

They felt pity for the blond turk, Sephiroth was no longer the over protective brother he was before.

He was a cold, heartless man, and he had been dubbed 'The Demon of Wutai' because of his actions in the war.

How would Cloud react? Only time would tell…


	11. Rufus The Prick

**[A/N] Sorry for not updating but my computer keeps losing internet at my cousin's house! It's getting really annoying! I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the last, but I just haven't been in the mood lately :/**

**I promise that the next chapter WILL be more exciting, because Sephiroth comes back later on in the chapter!**

**Is anyone even reading this? I've received only three reviews so far-which I'm happy that I even received reviews!-and I had to delete the third because yet again IT WAS A FLAME. **

**Really? Flaming me AGAIN? Grow up you ignorant little children.**

**I know this story isn't CRAPPY or STUPID, because I had EIGHTY ONE reviews when I first posted it! And over THIRTY story alerts.**

**Are you jealous of me, is that why you keep on flaming me? Ha! People today are PATHETIC.**

**I'm not forcing you to review, but I can't improve my story unless I know what people think about it!**

**Small hint of slash in here, but only a hint!**

**~One month earlier~**

The duo sullenly opened the door to Rufus's room and trudged inside. Out of all the missions they'd done-which was quite a lot!-this one was the worst.

Sure they would have been fine if Rufus wasn't such a prick! But as they say, like father like son.

But there was a HUGE difference between them. Where as the President was obese and greedy, Rufus was thin, tall, and…well…_beautiful_ but greedy as well.

'Ugh!' Cloud berated himself 'Stop thinking like that!'. Unknown to Cloud, Reno was having the same thoughts, just…instead of discouraging himself he was_ encouraging_ himself.

Upon seeing the drooling expression on Reno's face, Cloud promptly slapped him across the head. "Reno! Get your head out of the gutter! We have a job to do! Now help me find out where the hell Rufus went"

Reno stuck his tongue out at Cloud and flipped him the bird **(1)** but obeyed and searched the room for Rufus.

Just as he was about to open the bedroom door he felt a sharp pain against the back of his head "Shit! What the fu-" He was hit again and collapsed on the floor.

Cloud-who was currently in the kitchen-heard Reno's shout and shook his head. "What did he do this time?"

He followed Reno's trail, and found an unconscious Reno propped against the bedroom door. Just as he was about to wake him, he felt a shift in the room.

_'What the hell was that?'_ He thought, stilling immediately. He raised his arm just in time to block a gun from slamming across his head.

He turned and struck at his attacker who gasped and leaped back. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He demanded, glaring at the tall blond in front of him.

"I think it should be me who is asking you that" The man drawled "What are you doing in my room?"

"Your room? But that would mean that you're…Ah fuck! We're your body guards you twit!"

"Excuse me?" The man asked, eyes wide "Why didn't you contact me before you entered my room?"

Cloud nearly face palmed "Because we thought that you would recognize your own god damn bodyguards! Geesh, didn't Tseng send you a picture of us?"

"I haven't checked my mail in three weeks" Rufus deadpanned

"…I really don't know how to respond to that"

"Good, I didn't want to hear it anyways"

"So" Cloud asked "What do you want us to do?"

Rufus raised a brow "You are my bodyguards correct? Then all you need to do is guard my body"

"But that's boring! Do you really expect us to sit around all day guarding you? We have personal lives to ya know!"

"Your personal lives are of no concern to me, if you do not fulfill this mission to the fullest then I can simply ask Tseng for another pair of bodyguards".

"Tsk, fine! It's not like a giant Lessaloploth**(2)** is going to swoop in and attack you!"

"What in Shiva's name is a 'Lessaloploth?"

"…Nevermind"

"Rouse your red-headed companion from his sleep, and follow me into my office"

"Huh?" Cloud asked, confusion etched across his face

"That was an order not a request Strife"

Cloud sent a quick glare to the cocky blond, before kicking Reno's head a few times "Hey! Wake up lazy ass!"

The slumbering red-head groaned and slowly opened his eyes "five more minutes…'m tired"

"Reno! This is no time to sleep on the job! Rufus wants us to meet him in his office pronto!"

And just like that, Reno shot up like a rocket and threw an angry-yet playful-glare at Cloud "Why didn't you wake me sooner, yo!"

Cloud laughed "I enjoyed watching you drool all over yourself"

Reno huffed and lightly shoved the snickering blond "You said Rufus wanted us? We better not keep the prick waitin"

In only a few minutes, the duo found themselves inside Rufus's office-which was practically barren-and were currently lounging in the rough chairs, as they waited for Rufus to speak.

"So" Rufus began "Would you two distribute your weapons and show them to me?"

"Uhh…Sure" They replied as they brandished their weapons before the man

"Strife, what is this?" Rufus inquired, giving the weapon before him a disgusted look.

Cloud rubbed the back of his head, and nervously laughed "It's…um…My nail bat **(3)**?"

Rufus sent him look that clearly said _'You've got to be kidding me'_.

"This weapon is unacceptable, and will have to be replaced immediately" Rufus stood and began to head towards another door "Wait here, I will return shortly"

When Rufus returned, he was carrying a blade like no other.

He presented the blade-no-Katana to Cloud "This is Yoshiyuki, It was a gift to me, from an elderly man in Junon**(4)** This will be more efficient then that crude weapon that I doubt can even hold Materia! I expect the Katana to be kept in PERFECT condition always."

Cloud looked at Rufus with something akin to respect in his eyes "Thank you sir, I'll treat it as if it were my own heart!"

"Good, don't expect me to be as generous as I am today. You just caught me in a good mood so don't get your hopes up. I _am_ the son of ShinRa's president after all." He smirked, brushing off none existent dust from his pants"

**[A/N] Oh god I can't write anymore! Hope this chapter wasn't a complete failure! Read and Review please!**

**He flipped him off**

**A Lessaloploth is a type of small dragon with a scorpion tail that uses Ice attacks and its tail. It's a monster from FF7 that is found when you have to climb the Great Glacier in pursuit of Sephiroth after he kills Aeris, Which happens to be that part that I'm on right now **

**The Nail bat is a weapon that Cloud can equip in FF7, it can't hold Materia :/**

**In FF7 Cloud actually receives Yoshiyuki from an old man in Junon, I just thought that it would be more convenient this way. Look it up on google for a picture of it because FF7 graphics aren't that great so I can't really describe the katana.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	12. Flashback

**[A/N] Thank you to Clueless Quiver, Miyux The Chocobo Kight, and skylion for reviewing! Since I've been told that I need MORE detail and length I've decided to make this chapter the training chapter.**

**This chapter IS a filler, but an important one I hope! It will explain what happened when Cloud and Sephiroth trained, and Sephiroth's reaction to Cloud joining the turks-which is after this-. This will be in two parts, Part A and B since I have a lot to cover, and I want to get the chapters out ASAP.**

_**I decided to put Zack in the story, Crisis Core made me do it D: I really have no idea what to do with him, so advice is welcome! Remember THIS IS FANFICTION, Zack won't do all the things he did in the games and he will be slightly different.**_

**Don't like it? TOO BAD it's MY story NOT SQUARESOFT's.**

**These chapters won't come out daily and sometimes might not come out weekly.**

**The reason is because my freshman year of High school started August 29th, and October 1st is when I move and go to ANOTHER High school. Hopefully my English classes will help this story!**

**Enough about ME though! Enjoy this flashback chapter! This chapter was inspired by the song 'Why' by Ayaka which was the ending song to Crisis Core and 'Scars of Friendship' from the Crisis Core soundtrack.**

Commander Thomas had to be the most fucked up man in the world…besides Hojo.

Their schedule was to wake up at five! NOT THREE THIRTY. Commander Thomas had roused everyone from their sleep by screaming at them, and then proceeded to brutally kick anyone who wasn't awake!

Of course Cloud just had to be one of those people…

Rubbing his now sore head, Cloud followed his group down to the training rooms. They were working with Materia today, and Cloud had a bad feeling in his gut.

So most of his team were pyromaniacs and accident-prone that didn't mean anything right? Cloud sure hoped so…

They stood separated by height, and of course Cloud just happened to be the shortest. But what really rubbed salt in the wound was the fact that Sephiroth was THE TALLEST ONE IN THE ROOM. What was he supposed to do without his brother? He didn't want to be partners with a pyro…they'd set him aflame for sure!

Luckily-or so he thought-he had no partner due to the odd number of people in his group. They were quickly handed a small emerald green ball, and told to focus on the energy within.

It took about fifteen minutes for a successful lightning attack to work. Sure, about ten seconds after they received the material almost everyone got it on the first try.

But apparently zapping fellow comrades and a certain instructor didn't count as a 'successful' attack. Commander Thomas's hair now looked like a wet porcupine's. Cloud smirked, now he couldn't make fun of his 'Chocobo' hair anymore!

The most unbelievable thing happened when they were handed purple Materia, someone-with unusually spiked black hair-had actually demolished half of the training room. How the hell was that even possible?

Standing in the middle of a dust cloud covered in soot, was Zack Fair the most unpredictable member of their group.

The man had to be insane; he went from pulling pranks on his superiors to somehow finding a way to destroy everything he touched. He'd found a way to convince Heidegger that today was National 'Don't wear any pants day'. He was like a ticking time bomb! Plus Cloud knew he was trying to weasel his way into Sephiroth's non-existent social life. He couldn't blame him; Sephiroth did need a friend besides his brother after all.

So he would encourage the friendly tanned teen to become close to Sephiroth, and maybe in the future all three of them could become friends. Cloud inwardly smiled, that sounded nice. Said ticking time bomb of insanity was heading towards him right now.

"Hey there" Zack said, with his ever friendly grin in place "My partner nearly blew himself up and had to be sent to the doctor. Would you mind if I partnered up with you?"

The blue eyed teen nodded, his spiky hair flying everywhere "Sure, but if this is some plot to get in my brother's good graces then you're out of luck" Zack wore a look of confusion that surprised Cloud; didn't the man know who his brother was?

"Your brother? I didn't know you had one, who one is he?"

"He's Sephiroth, the tall, dark, and intimidating one"

The dark haired man let out a deep laugh-which lasted for a few minutes-before pausing "You're joking, right?"

"Not at all, he's actually related to me. Even ask him, though I doubt he'll answer".

The ebony haired teen rubbed the back of his head, and nervously laughed "Sorry if I offended you or anything, but you guys really look nothing alike"

Cloud smiled "It's alright I get that all the time, so what does the Commander want us to do now?"

Zack shrugged "Something about testing different types of Materia, the red ones I think. We're supposed to find out which one works the best for us."

The blond nodded once more, and followed Zack to the other side of the room.

They waited in line with the other cadets for a few minutes, and were each handed three crimson colored balls of Materia.

Cloud turned to see his fellow cadet having a hard time with his Materia "Uhh, I really don't know what to do with this. None of them are reacting at all!"

"I think you have to concentrate on it, lets hope you weren't given a summon Materia, or we'd all be screwed." Cloud taunted, gently shoving him a bit.

Zack pouted and stuck his tongue out at Cloud "Ha ha very funny, I hope you know that whatever comes out of this" He pointed to the Materia he was holding "Is aimed at you".

Cloud held his hands out in surrender "Okay, Okay! Let's go to an isolated area though, who knows what could come out of that"

Zack clapped him on the back "No worries! I'm sure it's harmless"

'_Harmless my ass'_

Oh yeah, it was harmless alright, if you call a HUGE FUCKING DRAGON trying to tear you apart harmless! Why the hell had they given Zack a Bahamut summoning Materia in the first place? Were they trying to get everyone killed!

It sure did seem like it.

Zack dragged the Chocobo look alike -hard enough to pull his arm out of the socket-away from the Dragon sharply turning left whilst running for his life.

And of course the idiot was laughing the entire time… "Woohoo! Yeah! We should do this more often!"

"NO! FOR SHIVA'S SAKE NO!" Cloud screamed, trying and failing to keep up with the energetic maniac known as Zack.

Geesh, was he pumped up with loco weed **(1)** or something? Cloud made a mental note to hide all sugar and caffeine related objects away from Zack.

Luckily, at the end of the day everyone made it out of there alive. Although more then a few were scarred for life.

Cloud bet that no one would dare partner up with Zack-or Cloud-ever again. He sighed, things were getting _really _interesting.

[**A/N] Here is your chapter! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD REVIEW D:**

**Loco weed is something dropped off of monsters in some Final Fantasy game, to me it sounded like a drug so I used it **

**Sorry for the delay, but life likes to kick me in the ass sometimes T^T**

**Edited: October 4th**


	13. Flashback part 2

**[A/N] Sorry for the delay! But I just recently moved and had to wait to get my internet and cable done! So sorry for the terrible chapter last time! I've edited it so it shouldn't suck as much anymore!**

**My birthday was Sunday! Yaaay! I finally turned fourteen!**

**Don't expect too many updates since I still have to get settled in to my new High School.**

**Slight OOCness of Sephiroth I think :/ I GOT DIRGE OF CERBERUS FOR MY BIRTHDAY! And Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days! I NOW OWN EVERY KINGDOM HEARTS GAME!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7, Squaresoft does. I do however own the right to use the mighty banhammer if you flame **

Cloud was shaking in anticipation and fear, today was the day he was finally going to tell his brother about the Turks. He had little to no idea how Sephiroth would react, would he be proud? Cloud hoped so…But what if his brother became angry and violent? Cloud couldn't bear to see his brother like that, even imagining it sent shivers down his spine.

Sephiroth had never been truly mad at him, sure he'd smacked him across the head a few times, but that was entirely his fault. The members of Cloud's squadron were becoming worried; Cloud had been pacing the bunker for an entire hour, constantly muttering something about his brother.

In fact the blond cadet had been acting strangely the past few days, many men gossiped on how his eyes had flashed green during one of the Materia tests. It seemed that his eyes always changed into cat like slits and turned into a striking light green whenever he expressed extreme emotion.

The teen finally decided to seek out his brother and confide in him, the wait was slowly making him insane. However, he had to do it quietly since Sephiroth was quite a drifter at night. Cloud assumed he was training as he seldom slept the entire night.

He thanked Gaia for the fact that he had been given the lower bunk, his feet made no sound as he hit the floor. Cloud was surprised, he supposed that keeping his socks on was a good idea after all.

The door however was a problem; the thing was made entirely of steel **(1)**! How the hell was he supposed to open it singled handedly? Come to think of it, how the hell did Sephiroth open it by himself at night? Then again Sephiroth _did_ have more strength then Cloud. Cloud was fairer and shorter then Sephiroth, something he had been born with. Right now he was quite feminine, but he hoped he'd fill out more in his future years.

But if Sephiroth got any taller then Cloud was going to explode.

Randomly

And his brother would bear all the blame, damn his tallness! Why'd he inherit their mother's height? Or at least Cloud supposed it was from their mother, although he'd never seen her before.

He pictured her as a beautiful light blonde woman, with a slender figure and the brightest blue eyes in the world! She'd hug him and give him all the comfort that he had been neglected.

Shaking his head to clear his mind Cloud made his way towards the training grounds. Sure enough he found Sephiroth training furiously, his katana cut through the air like water, fluid and graceful.

Cloud's plan to silently sneak up on his brother proved futile, for Sephiroth's head immediately turned in his direction, and he soon found a ShinRa owned katana**(2)** aimed at his throat.

"Cloud? What in Gaia's name are you doing out here?" The Silver haired man asked, cocking his head slightly to the side. Cloud swallowed and pushed the sword some ways away from his throat "I just came to umm…tell you something". He aimed his sights on a small crack in the earth, looking seemingly fascinated with it.

His brother stood there, an impatient look upon his face "Well? Are you going to tell me or not?" Cloud inwardly winced, why did he have to be so nervous? "I…the…umm…the turks asked me to join them…"

Sephiroth raised a slender silver brow "And?" Cloud clenched his fists and shut his eyes "I…accepted"

Sephiroth's katana was heard clattering onto the dirt, his fists clenched and unclenched before he turned away from Cloud. "Oh, thank you for telling me". Restraint was heard in his voice, and Cloud could tell that he wanted to possibly strangle Cloud.

"Forgive me Cloud, but my selfishness is clouding my judgment…I am truly happy for you…" Cloud was shocked to see sadness in his brother's eyes "You wont leave me...will you?"

Cloud fervently shook his head "Of course not! You're my brother; we've been together since infantry!" The corners of Sephiroth's mouth twisted upwards, creating a sorry attempt of a smile. "Thank you, Cloud".

Cloud heard the sound of his brother's boots fading away into the distance, he couldn't help but smile. His brother had said he was happy for him, but for some reason that only made Cloud feel a twinge of guilt.

His brother had almost seemed like his old self when he was younger, he hadn't freely expressed his emotions, but he did show them quite frequently. When he returned to their bunker he found Sephiroth lying in his bed, looking troubled.

Cloud sighed as he slipped under his covers, why couldn't everything be alright? One good thing always led to something bad…

**Morning**

Sephiroth swore as he was harshly awakened by an overactive raven haired teen, otherwise known as Zachary Fair. Everyone knew to never wake Sephiroth from his sleep if they valued their lives, but this one just didn't seem to get it.

Sephiroth was tempted to skewer him at the moment, but decided that a kick to the head and a punch in the gut would settle as punishment for now.

Turns out that only made things worse…

Now a crying Zack was holding onto his leg with a death grip whining that he was so cruel and that Cloud was so much nicer. The green eyed man didn't even want to know how he knew his brother…The stares he received for practically dragging a sobbing boy with his legs were starting to irritate him.

He was sure that if they hadn't been running three miles today that Zack would have remained on his leg for the entire day.

Sephiroth sighed, life was so cruel to him sometimes…

**[A/N] Here's the end of the chappie! A little bit of Seph and Zack interaction…for a short amount of time . There won't be much Zack till later…because he's just so hard to write! And I thought writing Sephiroth was hard!**

**The next chapter will be the one you've been waiting for! Sephiroth returns from Wutai! YAAAAAY! Please read and review! I'm going to Anime Vegas in November! I'll be the one dressed as Chihiro from Spirited Away! Come find me if you can!**


	14. The confrontation

**[A/N] I am so sorry for the delay! I had the worst writer's block ever! I kept doubting that I could write Sephiroth's return to the best of my ability so put it off…eventually days turned to months and I couldn't find the inspiration to write!**

**I had to bring up a FFVII world map just to make sure that I got everything geographically correct, yeah that's how important this story is to me! So yeah, turns out it's impossible to reach Wutai by land so it would only be possible through Air or Sea.**

**I hope you guys like this chapter! Hopefully it won't take me three months to update again! Also, the song 'Ode to Lord Laharl' from Disgaea is AMAZING!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 and I never will.**

Cloud was currently in the room he shared with Reno-the Turks had given them a new place to stay-it wasn't that far from their former commander's area so they could still visit their Cadet and SOLDIER friends from time to time. It was like living in an apartment somewhat. Cloud sighed and raked a hand through his spiky blond hair.

Today was the day Sephiroth returned from the War in Wutai. He hadn't responded to Cloud's letters since the battle had occurred and Cloud was beginning to worry. His brother hadn't forgotten about him right?

The blue eyed teen inwardly slapped himself, that was a stupid question! Sephiroth would and could never forget his own brother, it just seemed impossible.

Cloud had heard the rumors that were circling around his brother, they called him a demon, they said that he had slain three fourths of the entire army in the most gruesome way possible.

Some even said that he had been smirking and laughing the entire time. Cloud didn't believe any of it, his brother would never become such a bloodthirsty creature-he wouldn't dare call his brother a monster-during battle.

He couldn't even picture his brother as the 'Demon of Wutai'. It was such a brutal title to receive…Some men in his squadron must have been jealous of him and had spread these rumors in order to make people fear Sephiroth. Cloud nodded to himself, yeah that sounded right.

His brother would return today and Cloud would rush to him and hug him tightly, tears might be shed and Sephiroth would ruffle Cloud's hair and tell him how much he missed him. They'd return to Sephiroth's room and Sephiroth would tell Cloud all about what happened during the time he was in Wutai.

Cloud's mind had created the perfect scenario for Sephiroth's return. Maybe afterwards he'd finally really introduce Reno to him, just seeing him in class all that time ago was really a bad impression on Reno's part. His clock struck twelve and Cloud leapt from his bed, it was time to see his brother!

* * *

><p>The halls flooded with SOLDIERS and a few lower Militia as they wearily exited ShinRa military ships and onto the dock. They were greeted by their friends, superiors, and comrades who weren't given the 'honor' to fight in the war.<p>

They stood in a horizontal line as they waited for their Superior to finish praising them and awarding some of them medals. They were all given badges of honor and the families of those who had perished were sent money in hopes of their forgiveness.

After that was done they all split and headed towards either their rooms, the lunch hall, or to their friends who were eager to here about what had happened. Although, as soon as Sephiroth set foot on the docking area all went silent.

They parted and made way for the stone cold general, whispers broke out among the crowd and many had a look of fear across their face.

It was a very tense atmosphere, at least until a flash of yellow hair flew by. "Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted as he practically jumped onto his brother "It's so good to see you again brother". No one was expecting the silver-haired man to actually shove his brother off of him and continue on his way.

The doors closed on a retreating Sephiroth's back, leaving Cloud on the ground stunned and hurt. This wasn't like anything he'd imagined at all. He quickly brushed it off as Sephiroth just being grumpy, he was sure that his brother would be back to normal by tomorrow.

Oh boy, he didn't even know how wrong he was…

* * *

><p>Zack had come and comforted Cloud that night, with help from Cloud's partner Reno. Cloud kept telling them that he was fine, and that the whole thing would blow over by tomorrow.<p>

Zack and Reno felt pity for him, he could be so naïve at times, it was sad just watching him convince himself that his brother was just tired and aggravated. They could tell from what they had seen that Sephiroth had reacted out of pure hatred and disgust. It was practically leaking out of his aura.

Before they even knew it the next day had come, so they retreated back to their rooms-Reno to his bedroom of course-and hoped that Cloud would see the truth no matter how hard it would be.

* * *

><p>Cloud had started his daily routine, he'd gotten up at the crack of dawn and had proceeded to take a short shower, get dressed, attempt to brush his gravity defying hair, cook breakfast for his lazy partner, and brush his teeth with fervor.<p>

He'd headed out the door a quarter before five and had started towards the training grounds, as a Turk when he wasn't occupied with missions he had a bit of free time every day. He was shocked to see his brother there, although he really shouldn't have been, his brother frequented this place often in the past.

Cloud shouted a greeting and walked towards his brother, a little cautiously this time though, so that he wouldn't cause whatever had happened last time to happen again. "Funny to see you here brother, how've you been?"

He received a grunt in reply, which wasn't much unlike Sephiroth but still strange at the very least. Striving to strike up a conversation Cloud asked "Do you want to spar?"

His brother turned electric green eyes towards him and nodded, Cloud however missed the cruel look in them. A distinct buzzing rang in the back of Cloud's head, but he easily ignored it.

His brother and himself made the necessary fighting positions and in a flurry of motion attacked. Cloud was amazed by how different his brother's fighting style was, instead of coming on with relentless attacks he now attacked with well-thought out and heavily damaging swings.

Cloud soon found himself panting for breath as he once again blocked a deadly blow with his sword, Sephiroth's arm came swinging at him and he quickly swerved to the left and dodged it by an inch.

He swung his sword and aimed for Sephiroth's blind side only to be intercepted by Masamune. "Pathetic" His brother drawled, as he roughly shoved Cloud onto the ground.

The blond teen saw his brother's eyes shine an even brighter green and for once in his life felt genuine fear at the sight of his brother. Masamune came swinging down with the sole intent to decapitate him like a guillotine, Cloud leaned back and caught the blade between his boots before twisting it sideways and rolling away.

Sephiroth's eyes shone with the flames of hell as he retrieved his sword and came after Cloud again, _'Oh Gaia, he's actually trying to kill me!'_

Cloud found himself backed against a wall, and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the feel of cold metal and the killing blow.

**[A/N] Ahahaha! I just had to leave it on a cliffhanger! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I enjoyed writing it! Also, I need more reviews please Q.Q That's about 80% of the reason why I didn't update, I didn't have any inspiration. So yeah, please read and review! Or you'll have to wait more than four months for me to update next time!**


	15. The Aftermath

**A/N] Gah! I hadn't expected so much horror and suspense from you guys due to the previous chapter! You guys scared me there for a second. But all is well; this story is quickly drawing to a close! But, there will be a sequel!**

**I JUST NOTICED THAT I WAS MISSING A CHAPTER! CHAPTER FOUR TO BE EXACT! GO TO CHAPTER FOUR RIGHT NOW! IT'S A MISSING CHAPTER THAT HAS BEEN RECOVERED!**

**Shit gets serious from here on out, the dreaded trip to Nibelheim draws near and Jenova's getting anxious. Remember, Cloud is still undyingly loyal to his brother!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII and I never will! I do however own the name Xamier!**

Cloud was certain that he was going to die, his heart was beating faster than the drums of Wutai and he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to open his eyes any time soon. What he did not expect however, was for his brother to roughly pull him off the ground and hand him his sword.

"You've gotten better little brother, but you're still not strong enough to defeat me. If I had wished I could have killed you right now. You should feel lucky that I'm feeling merciful today. I expect you to improve quickly. The stronger you are the less likely you are to be killed in battle."

Cloud looked at his brother with a mixture of fear and resentment. What? Was what his brother said true? Was he truly becoming so weak that even his beloved brother found it within himself to mock him?

Cloud eyes glazed over. He could hear his brother's voice inside his head but he could also hear another. It felt malevolent and sounded like a hundred voices mixed into one.

It was whispering, screaming, shouting, and crying all at once. It cried over and over again and Cloud found himself falling to the ground clutching his head as the voice began to scream even louder. Power it promised him, strength, and love. The tempting voice cooed at him to embrace it, to give in to it fully.

Sephiroth quickly appeared at his side his face blank but Cloud could see sparks of worry in his eyes. Cloud simply shook it off and acted like it was nothing, just exhaustion. The voice quieted until he could no longer hear it. Cloud sighed in relief before the previous actions caught up with him. Exhausted both physically and mentally from the fight and the voice the blond quickly fainted.

When Cloud awoke he immediately noticed that the bed he was in was not his own. His brother's scent lingered on the sheets he was currently tangled in, and the room definitely looked familiar. His pillow felt a bit lumpy and Cloud was shocked to find himself curled around his brother.

They hadn't slept in the same bed since he was thirteen. Cloud found this situation eerily odd. Why was his brother letting him sleep in his bed? From what happened earlier Cloud assumed that his brother wanted nothing to do with a weakling like him.

Cloud could vaguely remember what had happened last night, he and his brother had sparred and then something had happened…something important…whatever it was Cloud just couldn't seem to remember. It was as if someone had purposely removed that event from his memory. Ah well, if he couldn't remember it now then it must not have been that important, right?

Wait a second…he was in his brother's room…oh no! Reno was probably throwing a fit right now! He'd missed an entire day of missions yesterday! Oh no this was bad, what would his boss think? He could lose his title; lose his job at the worst! He sighed and rubbed his face, he really needed to get his stuff together. The current way he was acting would do nothing but harm to both his career and life. Cloud was shocked out of his musings when he felt a shuffling to his side.

"I see you're awake" His brother's deep voice stated, Cloud turned and locked eyes with his possibly bipolar brother. The blond Turk nodded his head and attempted to get out of the bed, only to realize that his legs were still tangled causing him to fall on the ground bringing half the bed with him.

Sephiroth now wore an annoyed expression as he heaved the blankets back onto the bed "Always the clumsy one I see. That hasn't seemed to change since I left."

Cloud flushed three shades of red and began sputtering nonsense-mostly about how cruel his brother was-, not that his brother could understand it anyways. Face quickly turning serious Cloud glared at Sephiroth "What the hell was yesterday morning about? You nearly killed me!"

"Cloud I had barely just returned from a war that killed more than half of my team. Did you expect me to be prancing around in a ridiculously happy mood?"

Cloud stood immediately and went to punch his brother in the jaw, only to be stopped by a pale, slender hand. "No! But instead of simply telling me this you had to go out of your way to try and kill me?"

Sephiroth turned cold; merciless eyes on his brother "Do not be quick to blame me for your own weakness. If you had actually thought about how I would feel then you wouldn't have constantly pestered me. Think about what you have done and then you can accuse me of losing my temper outrageously.

I saw civilians die in front of me. Women, children, friends and you expect me to be 'back to normal'. War changes people brother and I'm afraid it's changed me for the worse."

Cloud found that he couldn't think of anything to say back. Sephiroth was right; if he had been stronger then none of this would have happened. If he hadn't of been so eager to see his brother then Sephiroth wouldn't be angry with him right now. He slumped onto the ground like a puppet with cut strings. His expression was that of pure despair. When had his brother become so strong? And when had he become so…weak?

Sephiroth gently lifted his brother and ushered him into the bathroom "Get dressed and meet me at the training grounds when you are finished with your missions. We need to talk." Cloud numbly nodded before heading to the bathroom and finding his uniform waiting for him.

He quickly dressed and headed over to where he knew Tseng and Reno were waiting for him.

"Cloud, it's come to my attention that you've been neglecting your Turk duties." Tseng calmly remarked and he rested his chin on his hands. Cloud reluctantly nodded, not even attempting to hide the shame the statement brought him.

"It's not his fault, yo!" Reno inputted, trying to be the supportive friends as always "His brother's been givin him a hard time! And it's startin to get to him, ya know?"

Tseng nodded but still looked disappointed "I understand, but Cloud should know that personal matters are to be separate from your work. As soon as you start your missions everything else should cease to exist. Only the mission should be on your mind."

Reno looked as if he was about to say something back, but held his tongue when Tseng raised a hand "I've come to the decision to give Cloud here some time off. During this time get your problems sorted out and return better than before alright? You have a month's time. And remember, I won't be lenient next time."

Cloud nodded and quickly left the room, the disappointed look on Tseng's face imbedded in his mind.

With nothing to do but go to his brother-which he desperately wanted to avoid right now-he grabbed a coffee and sat outside, his back against a concrete wall. He took a sip of the pure caffeine drink and nearly vomited. He was never going to get used to coffee was he? But at least the caffeine took his mind off of troubling things.

He quickly downed his coffee and tossed it in a trash can before heading over to the training grounds. Hopefully he could fix things between his brother and himself before it was too late.

**[A/N] Oh god I really am ashamed of this chapter. I've matured a lot and to see this chapter written like this really bothers me. Which is why I've edited it. Bleh, I'd get a beta but I don't trust anyone but myself with my stories.**


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